


(My Gift is My Song And) This One's For You

by gay_book_faerie_15



Category: Red White & Royal Blue - Casey McQuiston
Genre: Angst, Anxiety, Fluff, Love, M/M, Post-Canon, Stress, Swearing, This is my first piece of fanfic in months dont judge me please, Wedding, alex and henry, alex and henry get married, and its gay and cute, firstprince wedding, loveislove, m/m - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-06
Updated: 2020-04-06
Packaged: 2021-03-02 01:21:02
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,415
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23506759
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gay_book_faerie_15/pseuds/gay_book_faerie_15
Summary: Alex and Henry are getting married. Henry is beyond sure about marrying Alex, but he still has a lot of anxiety, so he goes to Alex, just like always. Alex spends a lot of time loving him, talking to him, and reassuring him. Because this is right. It's meant to be.This piece of work includes the wedding and the beginning of the honeymoon! If I get requests for the rest of the honeymoon, I can write that, too!Fun Fact. Also annoying fact: I have not read a SINGLE firstprince wedding fic on any platform! So I'm writing one, dammit! I hope you enjoy it! Also, Queen Mary has passed in this fic, Catherine is Queen now.
Relationships: Alex Claremont-Diaz/Henry Fox-Mountchristen-Windsor
Comments: 35
Kudos: 112





	(My Gift is My Song And) This One's For You

"This is bullshit, June." Alex groans over the phone. "Why can't we just stay the night together? It's not like we're trying to keep our innocence intact. Everyone in the world has read... all that." he feels his cheeks flush at the memory of his sex scandal from 3 years prior.  
"Because, Alex. This is technically a royal wedding. Not exactly Phillip and Martha style, but it's still a large wedding in London for the prince of England AND fucking FSOTUS. And as great as Catherine is, she still wants her son to have a traditional-ish wedding." June tells him.  
"Plus, you did long distance for this long. One more night?" Nora adds from her spot just off camera, presumably working from the plane.  
"Yeah but I also waited for this long. You would think that since the public is fully aware we've shared a bed, it wouldn't matter." he sighs. There was an official parting ceremony this afternoon, with a goodbye hug, intimate murmurs that Catherine and Bea intentionally didn't listen to, and Henry being walked into the palace with his mother and Bea, and Alex getting into a car alone to go to the hotel room Catherine agreed to put him in, knowing that keeping them both in the palace was doing nothing for tradition. Alex had been jittery all afternoon, his nerves creeping up on him. He isn't scared. He doesn't get scared. But he might be a little nervous.... "Nora, odds on something going wrong tomorrow?"  
"Alex, I don't think--" June starts.  
" 80% chance of Cake Gate 2.0, 47% chance of Henry stumbling on the way down the aisle, 65% chance of Alex getting drunk out of his mind by midnight. 99% chance of tears from both grooms." Nora answers immediately.  
"Huh. Better than I thought, actually." Alex says.  
"Alex, really. It's going to be okay. Because in the end, all that matters is you're getting married. And you and Henry are both happy and in love, and you're not perfect. You got into this whole mess because you're not perfect. That's how the public found out. And sure it was an international scandal. But look what came out of it. You two have done amazing things, and will continue to. You can't possibly fuck up your own wedding. That's why you have Nora, Pez, Bea, and I." June reassures him.  
"Gee, that makes me feel better."  
"Good. it was meant to."  
"Okayyyyy.... I'm just gonna.. hang up before my anxiety skyrockets. I love you both. Bye." Alex says, disconnecting the call.  
\-------  
For the next few hours, he distracts himself with "The Great British Bake Off " until he decides that he absolutely has to call Henry around 1 in the morning, because there's this feeling he's getting that something is off, plus he can't sleep. Henry picks up on the first ring.  
"Alex?" he asks.  
"Hi, baby," Alex says quietly.  
"Oh thank god. I've been debating calling you for about 15 minutes."  
"Well then I'm glad I called. Is there any particular reason you've been debating?"  
"Not really, no."  
"Sweetheart, you can tell me things. It's okay. It's bad luck to SEE someone, not talk to them. Talk to me, H." Alex says softly.  
"I don't know... it's not just one thing. It's hard... hard to put into words. I mean, I guess I'm just nervous about tomorrow? And I've been thinking about dad today." Henry admits. Alex sighs. Of course he was. Henry hated having all the attention on him, even when it was for things like this.  
"Me, too." Alex sighs. "I didn't think I was until today when we said goodbye. Being nervous, that is. But I am. And as far as your dad goes, he would be so proud of you, Hen. He really would. You've made waves and done big things this year especially. But you've always been destined for things like this. Now, the easy part. What we've been doing all along. Telling the whole world we're going to love each other for the rest of our lives." They sat in silence for a few minutes. "As much as I would love to sit here all night with you, sweetheart, truly, we need to get some sleep. You know our teams will be up our asses in the morning." Alex tells him.  
"I-- Alex, I don't..." Henry trails off, his breaths becoming uneven. Alex's heart breaks a little bit.  
"Okay. Hey. Listen to me. I'm right here. Can you hear me?" he asks. Henry murmurs something in response, and Alex knows he's trying to steady his breathing. "I'm not going anywhere till you fall asleep. I'll sit here with you for as long as it takes. And in 9 hours, I'll be right next to you. Like, right next to you, holding your hand. But right now, I'm just gonna ramble until you fall asleep." Alex tells him. "Just breathe. I'm right here. And if you really, really need me? Say the word and I can meet you at the V&A in 10 minutes."  
"I-- I'll be alright," Henry says finally.  
"Okay. Do you want to sleep?"  
"I really should..." Henry says, failing to stifle a yawn.  
"Yes you should. Alright, sweetheart. Settle down, get comfortable. Just like old times." Alex said. This was their first night apart in months, he realized after a moment.  
"Hmmm, I have to admit I-" Henry yawned. "-don't miss much about old times."  
"Me, either. But at least nothing is new territory." Alex points out. "Are you comfortable?"  
"As comfortable as I can be without you and David, yes, love." another yawn.  
"Well, alright, beautiful. Ready to hear random shit that goes through my head?"  
"Mmm..." Henry hums. And so Alex talks. He talks about law school, about the new bills for Congress, about the upcoming election next year, and then at some point, he's too tired to remember what he's talking about. But he hears Henry's steady breathing about 45 minutes later, and he yawns himself.  
"There we go. Goodnight, sweetheart," he whispers. He could swear Henry mumbles something back in his sleep before he hangs up and falls asleep.  
\------  
Alex was so painfully correct about their teams being up their asses in the morning. 7:30 A.M. came too soon, and Zahra busted into his room with June, Nora, and their cosmetics team. He typed out a quick text to Henry.  
"Good morning, sweetheart. I'll see you soon. I love you so much, Henry."  
He's getting his hair trimmed and thinned and gelled when he gets a response.  
"I love you, too, Alex."  
It doesn't really take long for him to get ready. So he gets to sit and watch June and Nora transform from bathrobes and messy buns to immaculate hairstyles and gorgeous dresses. Nora in a tight blue dress and simple silver jewelry, and June in a pale yellow and floral tea dress and silver jewelry. Nora's hair was pinned back but left mostly down, and June's hair was in a braid crown. Then it was Alex's turn to get dressed. Zahra got more than a little emotional, and even let him hug her.  
"You did it, kid. I'm proud of you, you little shit," she told him.  
"Thanks, Z. Hey, now it's you and Shaan and Henry and I. We can double date!!!" he exclaimed.  
"No," Zahra said, and Alex laughed.  
A few minutes later, Zahra left, she still had to get ready. Enter Cash, in his tux and looking overly excited. And a camera crew. There was a miraculous show of taking him out the back of the hotel, to the wedding venue in a limousine. The venue was a huge banquet hall, full of royal-approved decorations, with a red, cream, and gold color scheme. The entire building was made of brick, recently renovated with new hardwood floors and a giant ballroom for the reception. The giant cake, which cost more than half of Alex's college tuition, was staying in the kitchens until it was time to cut it, hopefully leading to successfully avoiding a repeat of the LAST royal wedding. But for now, he was meeting Henry for a not-so-traditional thing that they both wanted so badly that Catherine didn't even put up a fight. It was called the First Look. It was pretty much meant to take the edge off of nerves, to give the people being married a more private moment of seeing each other for the first time, and also time to actually take pictures without having to take time out of the reception. And it was going to be a LARGE reception. The ceremony had well over 500 attendees, and although the reception was downsizing, 300 was still a shit ton of people. Alex's heart was in his throat. It was him, Cash, and the camera crew in the limo. He and Henry wanted it to be as few people as possible for the real thing, but did agree to have it filmed and turned into a video for the family, and apparently, there was going to be some sort of documentary on YouTube about them, due to the historical events taking place around their relationship. Cash looked at him for a second and shook his head.  
"Don't throw up. If you throw up, Amy and Zahra will kill me for letting you mess up your hair and suit. You've got this. This is the easiest part of everything you've done." he whispers. Alex laughs a little.  
"I told Henry that exact thing last night."  
"You should listen to yourself more. Sometimes, you've got a point." Cash stated, in a tone that stressed that most times he was a dumbass, but this time he wasn't. Alex didn't have the words for a retort. They were at the venue. And Henry's car was there. Surely with Shaan and the other half of the camera crew. The photographer was with Henry as well.  
When Alex got out of his car, he walked into the venue slowly, seriously wondering if he was going to throw up. Then out scurried the photographer, a small woman named Angie with a black pixie cut and a green dress, a huge camera around her neck. They'd worked with her pretty closely to get the engagement shots and tell her what they were thinking of for their First Look photos.  
"Alex, thank god! You're two minutes late, so of course, Henry started thinking you'd dashed about 10 minutes ago." she laughed, her accent distinct and Scottish.  
"That sounds.. about right, yeah. Are we ready?" he asked.  
"Yup, I think so. I'll take you to the door, we'll get the hand-holding shots you wanted, then blindfolds and reveals? And from there we'll just play around?" she went over the plan just like they'd talked about. Alex nodded.  
"My heart is jumping between my throat and my stomach. I'm way more nervous than I expected to be," he admitted as they made their way up the stairs to the second level of the venue.  
"That sounds about right. That's how I felt before I married Phoenix." she agreed. Her significant other, Phoenix, was on Henry's half of the camera people, to Alex's dismay. Phoenix was so cool and they told stories in the best way. Suddenly, there was the door. And there was Henry's elbow, just visible, and Alex knew he was crossing his arms. "Henry, I've got Alex. No talking, either of you. Hand out, Henry, back to the door. Alex, hand in Henry's, back to the door. There we go. Smile, you two. Now look straight ahead of you, still smiling. Alex, tilt your head more towards me. That's it. Okay, boys. I think we got it. Now, blindfolds if you please." Angie talked her way through the hand holding photos so Alex and Henry couldn't get a word in edgewise. Letting go of Henry's hand took about all the willpower he had left. He really didn't want to let go. But he did, and placed his blindfold.  
He could hear Henry being led over in front of him by Angie, and his breath just kind of left his body. He was attempting deep breaths, but he also couldn't stop smiling. He heard a camera shutter go off about 50 times and then the magic words.  
"Alright, people, cameras still rolling? All angles on the grooms? Okay, then. One, two, three. Blindfolds off." Angie said, the last two words a whisper. Alex tugged his off a fraction of a second before Henry did, and immediately felt tears in his eyes.  
"I-- you look so gorgeous, Alex," Henry said, speaking first, fiercely swiping at his eyes to no avail.  
"You don't look too bad yourself, sweetheart," Alex said, having given up on stopping his tears. And then Henry was holding him, tightly but tenderly, and he could feel all the tension he had been feeling all morning melt away. "God, you're so so beautiful. Look at you." Henry whispered into his hair.  
"I love you so, so much, Henry," Alex whispered, raising himself on his toes just a little to press their foreheads together. He was vaguely aware of the camera shutter continuously clicking, but this felt like his and Henry's own little world.  
\-------  
The First Look pictures went by too quickly, and then the boys were sent their separate ways once more to have their hair and makeup teams fuss over them for the last hour. They weren't having any sort of wedding party, no best men or bridesmaids or flower girls or ring bearers. The only people going down the aisle besides Alex and Henry were Catherine, who was walking Henry, and Ellen, who was walking Alex. Besides that, there was no fuss, just the couple of lovebirds. June and Nora visited him for a glass, just ONE, of champagne, and they talked and helped ease Alex's nerves, before being escorted out and to their seats. Enter Ellen Claremont.  
"Hey, darlin'," she said, grinning widely.  
"Hi, mom," he says, hugging her.  
"How're you feeling?" she asks, after stepping back from the hug.  
"I'm freaking out so hard. But I've never been more sure of anything in my life," he admitted. "Bet you're glad you backed my play now, huh?" he joked.  
"I've never regretted being a mom first. I'm very glad I backed you this time, though. A quick secret? I would have backed you up even if you didn't feel forever. I had never seen you happier than I saw you those few months. And I knew, somehow, that no matter what it was, I couldn't tell you no this time."  
Alex felt something stick in his throat, but he swallowed it back down as one of the guards knocked, signaling them to be ready to walk in just moments. They could hear the music now. Henry was walking down the aisle. 20 seconds later, silence. Another, softer knock, and the doors opened for him and his mother. And then he was walking. And there was Henry. His navy blue tuxedo seemed made for him. He looked very... traditional. But when you looked closer, you could see his nails were painted the colors of the rainbow like Alex's, and he had a pride pin on his suit jacket. He looked so... so perfect, so Henry, that Alex felt tears running down his face all over again. He and his mom walked closer and closer, and then it was just him, walking the final few feet to Henry. The love of his life, his person. And Nora was right, as always. Both grooms cried very early on. Then they were holding hands and everyone sat down again. 95% of the ceremony was a blur, but then he heard the officiator say:  
"Do you, Henry George Edward James Fox-Mountchristen-Windsor, take this man, Alex Gabriel Claremont-Diaz, as your lawfully wedded husband?"  
Henry smiled for real, unguarded and crooked and his eyes crinkled before saying  
"I do."  
"And do you, Alex Gabriel Claremont-Diaz," the officiator continued, "take this man, Henry George Edward James Fox-Mountchristen-Windsor, to be your lawfully wedded husband?"  
Alex felt all eyes on him, and he saw Henry's smile, and felt his own tears again before he said,  
"I do." and saw Henry's tears start. And all he wanted was to kiss this beautiful man, but he was restraining himself. Literally all his strength was going into standing still.  
"Then, by the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husbands. You may kiss the groom," he said, and then Henry's hands were on his face, wiping away his tears as he kissed him, and Alex was kissing him back, and he felt like they were the only two people in the room, in the city, in the world.  
They walked back down the aisle and into the room Henry had sat waiting in. They tumbled onto the couch inside, Alex's smile splitting his face, and Henry watching him.  
"I still cannot BELIEVE your mother shot down our very gay vows." are the first words his new husband says to him. Alex laughs. He, too, was surprised when his mother heard the vows they were asked to say in front of God and Jesus and everyone, said absolutely not. (She later told him that it was too personal of vows to say in front of so many people.)  
"But... we can say them now?" he suggests.  
"But we didn't..." Henry starts.  
"We have like 10 minutes before we have to start getting ready for the reception. If you want to do anything before we're overrun with people, and before we're drunk, it's now, sweetheart."  
"Okay. Uh.. okay. Alex, love. I love you. You know that. I've always loved you. I tried to stop it from happening. I tried to make myself hate you and pretend you were the worst person on Earth. But then I got to know you. Not just Alex Claremont-Diaz, FSOTUS and America's heartthrob. But the Alex who loves Helados in the middle of the night, who tears out his eyebrows and eyelashes when he's stressed. (Author's note: Fun fact: this is called trichotillomania, my ex-girlfriend has a severe case.) The Alex who does that thing with his fingers. Who quotes gay figureheads at me. Who never gave up on me, and whom I will never give up on. I will love you all my life, and after my life is over, I will still love you. I never thought that I would be allowed to be happy this way, that I would have someone worth fighting for. Even as a prince, I never thought I would get my fairytale ending. When I told Shaan to get rid of you, the first time we met, it wasn't out of hatred or spite or annoyance. But it's because you shone so brightly, and for the first time in years, I felt okay. I felt like I could breathe a little easier. You were the sun, and I was Icarus. I knew I would burn up if I got too close. And knowing that I couldn't ever have you was killing me after only 30 minutes of being in your presence. But somehow, I was wrong. And I did get my storybook ending after all. With you. I promise to make you as happy as you've made me every single day. I love you, Alex." Henry said. Alex wasn't the type to be rendered speechless, but here he was. He wasn't sure how he was feeling. All he knew is there was something unmovable in his throat. Henry watched him for a minute. "Love? Are you alright?" he asked. Alex took a deep breath, pushing down that lump as much as he could.  
"Henry. My god, Henry. Sweetheart, where do I begin? With I love you, I guess. Because I do. I love your crooked little smile that only I really get to see, and how your whole face glows when you're really happy. How I'm never truly at peace unless I'm with you, and how some days nothing feels okay until your head is resting on mine, and my head is buried in your shoulder. I love that you named your dog David after David Bowie, instead of naming him Bowie. When you sleep, you hold me. When you fall asleep, your arms don't relent one bit, as if you're afraid to lose me while you sleep. But I'm not going anywhere. You're my fairytale prince, and this is my happily ever after. I've-- I've found- fuck. Sorry." Alex said, having to take a deep breath and recomposing himself. "I've found a home with you, Henry, someone I want to build my life with, and someone I would stop at nothing for. Someone to fly across the Atlantic for, over and over again, just to make all the hurt go away, no matter what it is. Being your husband is going to be-- shit." cue Alex wiping his eyes again. "Being your husband is going to be such an adventure. But I'll be there for the ups and the downs. I can't wait for every single second for the rest of our lives. I love you always, baby." and Alex stops, thankful he stopped because too many more words would have left him crying, and unable to continue. He looks at Henry, who's now crying. "You're the best bad decision I ever made, do you know that?" Henry chokes out. Alex just takes him and holds him.  
"And you're the best bad decision I ever made, sweetheart." Alex agrees, and then finally, finally, he feels tears flow, and he doesn't feel like he has any more excuses to stop them. He stopped himself after the first few minutes of the ceremony, but he's not standing in front of the whole damn country anymore, he's not spilling his heart out, he's not posing for photos. His head finds home in Henry's shoulder, and he feels Henry's back, previously tense, relax, and he takes a breath.  
"Husband. You're officially mine and only mine." Henry whispered after a minute.  
"Whatever shall we do to celebrate, o husband of mine?" Alex teased, nipping Henry's jaw.  
"Right now, I'm going to hold onto you and be smitten and in love. This evening, we're going to be very well behaved, so our mothers don't end our lives before they've truly begun, because there's a lot of people here, and I don't feel like we need a new sex scandal. One is too many, thank you very much. Tonight, you're mine." Henry growled the last sentence, and Alex had sworn to himself earlier that he was NOT going to get hard before he was able to do something about it. But here they were, Henry growling in his ear, hands in his hair, and Alex was fucking hard. Still very emotional, but hard nonetheless.  
"Brave words for the one that's going to be at my mercy all night, bottom." Alex teases, but drops the subject pointedly by dropping back to sitting normally on the couch. Henry follows, curling into his side, and they sit, content with each other, and Alex knows he's never been happier in his life, he's sure of that.  
\-------  
Soon, they're shoved back into the fray for their first dance, 'Your Song' by Elton John, and Alex sang along softly in Henry's ear, remembering the first time Henry played it on piano, falling in love right there in his room. The song was playing when Henry got down on one knee, and when Alex fell to his knees next to him to kiss him and sob yes over and over again.  
They slow danced to it, and everyone watched them, and June later told them that she, Nora, Bea, and Pez felt like it was just too private of a moment to watch, so they looked away. Besides, there's a whole video of it somewhere, it'll be on TV, and every video streaming site ever. But in the moment, she admitted that they just felt like they were intruding. Alex hugged her. There was a lot of mingling, a lot of dancing, and then it was time for the cake. Henry was staring at it like it was going to eat him.  
"Alright, photos," Zahra said, marching them to the cake. They stood a solid three feet from the cake, and Henry still looked worried.  
"Hey. Smile like we just got married." Alex whispered as the press swarmed. Out of the corner of his eye, Henry beamed, and Alex did, too. Truly this was the happiest day of his life.  
They walked away after all photos were taken and deemed acceptable, and bumped into a rather drunk June. Henry immediately took her by the arm and led her towards the bar to get her something to drink.  
'Water.' Alex mouthed to Henry, who nodded as he led his sister-in-law away. Meanwhile, Alex went off to socialize with people.  
He stopped to talk with Liam and Spencer, whose wedding they had recently attended, and they agreed to meet up for a weekend at the lake house whenever Alex and Henry were in town.  
He also stopped to talk to Rafael Luna and his 'guest'. Alex was sure there was more to it than that. So was everyone else in the family, for that matter. But Raf could tell them whenever he felt like it. Alex could definitely appreciate taking your time and not being outed.  
He caught Henry staring across the room at him again around the time he was talking to Zahra and Shaan, whose daughter, Aahna, was having her 2nd birthday in just a few weeks. Said daughter was holding Alex's legs and running around them. Alex quite liked to think motherhood had softened Zahra. But he would never tell her that. He scooped up the little girl, laughing at her talking to him in short sentences. He noticed Henry walking up to him, and turned to him, smiling. There was something in Henry's eyes that Alex liked, and he passed Aahna, who whined in protest, over to Shaan, who bribed her with the promise of cake.  
"You look so sexy in that suit, you know," Henry mumbled in his ear. Alex raised an eyebrow, and Henry gave him a pointed look, and Alex's eyes drifted down.  
"Why, your highness!" he said incredulously. "I know exactly what you're asking for, but you have to dance with me later. Like, really dance," he whispered. Henry rolled his eyes.  
"I should have known you would ask for that. But I will do no such thing, no matter what you say," he whispered back.  
\-------  
One hour later, Henry was out on the dance floor with Alex, and Alex was absolutely giddy about it. He watched his husband jumping around, laughing and twirling him from time to time. When they finally exited the dance floor, they were both smiling like idiots. Cash came up and tapped his shoulder.  
"It's about time to go, your Highnesses," he told them, showing them the time on his phone. It hit Alex then. He was technically royalty now.  
"Don't start calling me 'your Highness' or any of that shit, Cash. If anyone calls you out on it, tell them it was an order." Alex chuckled. Cash just shrugged. He saw Henry staring at some random diplomat's head out of the corner of his eye. "Henry, baby, are you okay? You're staring at that poor woman's head like you're waiting for it to explode," he whispered. Henry jumped a little but nodded.  
"I'm... I'm fine. Sorry. Just zoned out for a second there. Cash said it was about time for us to say our goodbyes?"  
"Yeah. Yeah, the next few weeks are all ours." Alex smiled at his new husband, and Henry smiled back.  
The two continued to make their rounds and socialize until they saw Cash give them the signal. Then Alex climbed onto a table and tapped a fork against his champagne glass. He pulled Henry up next to him and into his side as the music stopped and the crowd looked to them. Henry's chin found a place on his head, his hand on Alex's hip.  
"Hey, y'all! We're about to take off, but we wanted to thank every one of you for coming. This has been the best day of my life, and I'm so happy you all could make it. To all the English people here, I promise to keep your prince safe and love him all my life." Alex said.  
"And I promise the same to all the Americans. I love you, Alex." Henry said, kissing Alex's head.  
"We'll be going now, but everyone, please feel free to party until you can't anymore. Enjoy the cake! No one do what we did, please!" Alex laughs, and with that, he and Henry got off the table and walked out the door, to laughter and cheers, and then they were alone. Kind of. Cash was nearby, but they were the closest to alone they would be until they arrived in Hawaii for their honeymoon. Finally, for the first time in hours, Alex could kiss Henry deeply. He didn't realize how tense he had been until Henry's hands were on his lower back, thumbs massaging gentle circles. He relaxed into the kiss, his hands going to Henry's face.  
"I love you..." Henry said into the kiss.  
"I love you, too, baby."  
A few minutes later, there was a knock down the way. Alex pulled away and saw Cash by the door. Henry cleared his throat and straightened his tie.  
"The car is ready." is all Cash said, smiling and shaking his head fondly as he walked out the door. Alex just smiled at Henry.  
"Race you," he said, and took off down the hall.  
"Oh, that's what we're doing?" Henry asked incredulously, laughing as he followed.  
\--------  
The plane ride to Hawaii was interrupted to refuel, understandably. 13 hours was a long ass time to fly, and they had about 8 hours left. How do the Claremont-Diaz-Fox-Mountchristen-Winsdors travel 21 hours? Well 2 hours are spent making out. Then when they realize that they have to stop before either one of them has a.... situation, Henry and Alex both pick up books. Henry picks up his own, the one he's been editing for months, and Alex picks up a book Nora gave him, something about two gay men in the 1700s on their tour of the continent? They also ate food from the plane. They stopped in Austin, Texas, for several hours, so Henry and Alex, craving fast food, ordered some McDonald's, and Amy, who accompanied them along with Cash, agreed to go pick it up if they ordered her a McFlurry and large fries for her, too. They readily agreed. But not 20 minutes after Amy left, Alex caught himself dozing. And the next thing he knew, he couldn't keep his eyes open anymore.  
When he woke up, Henry was staring out the window, feet crossed, zoned out again. But Alex decided not to bother him, and just stayed still. Until he sneezed, and he swears to this day Henry about flew out the window. Cash was snoring on the other end of the plane and wasn't disturbed, and Amy just laughed at them and went back to her book.  
"I'm sorry," Alex whispered, giggling a little.  
"I didn't realize you were awake..." Henry admitted.  
"I just woke up. Any McDonald's left?"  
"10 piece chicken McNuggets and a medium fry. Might be a little cold, though."  
"Oooh, yum. Cold not-chicken. Wanna share?" Alex asked, digging in the bag and offering up the box of chicken McNuggets. Henry rolled his eyes but took a nugget and some fries. They ate quietly, Henry reading again and Alex scrolling through the news feed on his phone, seeing his and Henry's face on at least 7 immediate stories. There are some admittedly good photos of them, and Alex screenshots a few good ones, showing them to Henry.  
Eventually, Henry put down his book and turned towards Alex, curling up and resting his head on Alex's shoulder. Alex wraps his arms around Henry and rests his head against his husband's.  
"I love you. I can never say it enough." Henry whispers, yawning.  
"I love you, too, baby. I'll never be tired of saying it, either." Alex muttered back. A few minutes later, he heard Henry's little snores, so he kissed the top of his head and then closed his eyes. They had hours before they landed.  
\-----  
When they arrived in Hawaii, it was about 2 in the afternoon, which was about 2 hours earlier than planned because of refuel time and how fast they could fly. Both Alex and Henry were adamant about getting a shower as soon as humanly possible. They didn't really have a schedule, so they just went to the hotel from the airport to shower and change, and then the newlyweds would go to dinner, and Cash and Amy would sit at a nearby table and keep watch, but give them space.  
When they walked into their suite, Alex was speechless. Sure he lived in the White House and stayed several weeks per year in Kensington Palace, but this was a whole other type of glamorous. There were flowers everywhere, and the whole place was painted a soft yellow with beautiful photography hung on the walls. There was a full kitchen, two T.V.s, a couch, and a King-sized bed. On the coffee table there was a chocolate basket with a card that said  
'Congratulations, Mr. and Mr. Claremont-Diaz-Fox-Mountchristen-Windsor!!!!'.  
He and Henry still hadn't quite decided what they would do for their last name, but they did know it sure as hell wouldn't be all of that. He laughed whenever people tried to get all of their last names in the correct order. Which had been happening for months already.  
He and Henry unpacked their suitcases into the dresser and closet, and then Henry went and took his shower first. Alex considered joining him, but they had plenty of time for that. Almost 3 weeks, in fact. When Henry emerged some 15 minutes later, the sun was getting ready to set, so Alex decided to shower quickly so maybe he and Henry could watch it from their balcony, so he made it as quick as he could, changed his clothes, shaved, and put product in his hair.  
He walked out of the bathroom to see Henry standing absolutely still, eyes closed with his hands in fists, breathing deeply. An alarming sight, saying as Henry's anxiety had been getting so much better lately.  
"Hey. What's wrong?" he asked immediately. Henry just shook his head. His lip wobbled a little, and Alex heard his breath hitch, and if he hadn't suspected something was wrong before with all the zoning out, he sure as hell did now. He crossed the room and stood next to him. "Henry. Henry." Alex whispered, his hand on the nape of Henry's neck, rubbing soothingly up and down. "I need you to tell me what's wrong, sweetheart. And don't say that it's nothing. It's kind of obvious. I'm right here."  
"I... I'm sorry, love. Here we are on our honeymoon and I--"  
"Don't apologize. I don't give a fuck if it's our honeymoon. You're upset. And that's okay. But can you tell me why?" Alex asked quietly. Just then there was a knock. Probably Cash, checking to make sure they were settled and seeing if they were ready to go to dinner. "I'll be right back," he said, walking to the door. He opened it and yup, there was Cash and Amy, ready to go.  
"Is everything okay?" Amy asked. His face must be showing his emotions more than he thought.  
"Uhhh... Henry's kind of having an episode. Like..... level 9, date-with-June episode. It's been a while since either of us have dealt with this. We need some time before we go for dinner." Alex said, quietly. Cash and Amy let the news wash over them, and then Cash nodded.  
"Just call when you're ready. Good luck. Let us know if you need any help." he said, and closed the door on himself. Damn, he really loved Cash. Alex didn't waste a second getting back to Henry, standing in front of him now.  
"Baby..." Alex murmured, putting his hands on the sides of Henry's face, lifting his head. He's not sure why he's surprised to see tears. But he is. He swipes them away as much as he can. "Oh, Hen. Come here," he said as he pulled Henry down on the floor with him, and held him close. And then Henry really started crying. Alex just held him and stroked his hair and wondered what the hell was stressing Henry out to the point of an anxiety attack like this.  
"Hey. Look at me." Alex said after a few minutes. Henry's tears had slowed, but he was still breathing rapidly. He looked up at Alex, and Alex took Henry's hand and put it on his chest. "Breathe with me, okay? In and out, sweetheart. It's okay. We don't have to talk about it right now, I just need you to breathe."  
Henry nodded, and so they did. Alex coached Henry through deep breaths for several minutes before he felt Henry take normal breaths on his own. He still had tears running down his face, but he was getting noticeably better as time passed. He pressed his face into the crook of Alex's neck and held his shirt like a lifeline.  
"Oh, baby. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry something has been bothering you this much to cause this. And I'm sorry I didn't see it sooner." Alex murmured, stroking Henry's hair more, because Henry loved it when he did that.  
" 's not your fault, love," Henry responded, voice quiet and croaky from crying. Alex shook his head, and they just sat like that for a few minutes, sharing a moment and breathing.  
"Henry. Baby..." Alex started, breaking the silence. "I need you to talk to me. You haven't had an attack that bad in a long time. What's wrong?"  
"I.. it's so stupid--"  
"Just because you think it's stupid doesn't make it any less significant," Alex said gently. "I'm right here. For better or worse, through idiocy and fits of genius. Plus, you can't make the excuse that you don't want to bother me. You're stuck with me now." he felt Henry grin into the crook of his neck. He didn't get the feeling Henry was going to start talking if he kept pushing him, so he stopped talking and just held him some more. He would be fine spending his night like this, he thought. Right here on the floor, holding the man he loved. He would maybe change the fact that Henry was having a panic attack for a reason he didn't really know. But outside of that, he had no qualms with this situation. Once again, neither of them said anything.  
"Cash... he called us both 'Your Highness'..." Henry finally said. Alex nodded. "It just made me think... a lot. I hate being a royal. Having influence and all, and meeting you through that, it's great and all, but dad was still James Bond. I was in the spotlight no matter what. It's so much stress. It's still a lot of work to uphold the reputation and not screw up. And as you told me once, it's fucking hard doing what we do. And this is going to be my whole life. No matter if I had to abdicate or not. I will always be a royal in some sense. And now I've.. well, I've dragged you into this. Once your mother is out of office, you'll still have to follow these rules and lists and approved things you can and can't be seen doing or posting. It's... I know you're used to it. I know. But that doesn't make me feel less guilty. Because you were finally done with all this after next year. I've turned it into your whole life. And I... I've been thinking about it since the very beginning. But now it's official. We're married. I just don't want you to have to feel the way we all do more than you've had to. And it just scares me, because what if you get tired one day? What if you decide you can't do this anymore? I can't ever get away from this. But if you really knew you had to, knew that you couldn't do this anymore, you could. Without me. And I couldn't live without you, Alex. I just couldn't. And I shouldn't worry about that, it's still so early. But I can't help it."  
Alex processed all of this. He knew this stuff worried Henry but, and he hated to even admit this to himself, he had no idea it worried him this much. That it worried him that Alex would leave him behind one day. The knowledge that Henry worried about that so much felt like a space was being carved out in his rib cage and then simultaneously tried to stop his lungs from working.  
"Oh, sweetheart. Listen. Don't ever, ever, ever believe that. Of course, things get to be too much sometimes, of course, I'll get tired of it all. I already get tired of all of this like once a week. It is fucking hard. You're absolutely right. But I would never leave you behind. I couldn't. You're my forever. Don't doubt that for a second. I'd rather keep the routine of guards and approval and all of that bullshit that get used to not having it and then having to get back into it in a few years. I wouldn't change my life for anything. I have no regrets about you, beautiful husband. I never will. If I have you, I'm not worried about anything else."  
"You say that now, but--"  
"Henry. Look at me." Alex waits for Henry to sit up and look at him. "Read my lips. I. Will. Never. Leave. You. Behind. Not in 2 months. Not in 2 years, 2 decades, not for the rest of my life. I promise. I am always going to be right by your side. No matter what, I'm a phone call away, a car ride away, a plane trip away, an arm's length away. A breath away. But I'm always here. It's fucking weird, being a royal and the First Son. It'll take some getting used to. And then I'll just be a royal. But most importantly, I'll be your husband. Maybe I'll be a dad. Maybe we'll be uncles, god forbid Pez finally act on his word with June or Nora, or Bea find someone. I want a life with you, a family with you. Above anything else, I want you. Only and always. I couldn't leave you behind, baby. I couldn't."  
"Promise?" Henry asked. And his voice was so small, and he looked so tired, Alex's heart broke.  
"I pinky promise," he whispered, holding out his pinky. Henry linked his and then smiled a little at him. "Alright, beautiful. I think my hair is thoroughly past the point of wrangling. Do we plan on going out? If so, we both need to shower."  
Henry contemplated it for a moment.  
"Can we stay in? I don't know that I'm up for all of that tonight," he asked. Alex nodded.  
"Of course. Let me just text Cash and Amy to let them know to go ahead without us. We can order food in and have a redo wedding night, since we spent the real one on a plane. How's that sound?" he said, texting Cash and Amy with his free hand, still sitting on the ground holding Henry.  
"I think I love it," Henry said, standing up and picking Alex up right after him, carrying him over and dumping him unceremoniously onto the bed.  
They went a few rounds that night, only braking for the pizza that got delivered, and then proceeded to watch chick-flicks into the night.

And hey, if Henry fell asleep in his lap, and Alex held him all night, not daring to move, that wasn't anyone's business. And if Alex whispered  
"You're my forever, Henry." to his new husband just before he fell asleep... well, that wasn't anyone's business either.


End file.
